Convertible hinge.



No. 746,054. PATENTBD DBG. a, 1903. A. P. BNQUIST.

yCONVERTIBLE HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18 1903- H0 MODEL.

AXEL F; ENQUIlsT, or SAN' FRANCISCO, CALIEORNA. 'I 5 "1 "CONVERTIBLE HINGE;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 746,054, dated December 8, 190,3.

lApplication filed May 18, 1903.

.To a/ZZ whom t may concern: Be it known that I, AXEL F. ENQUIST, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, county of San Francisco, and State of 5 California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Hinges; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying draw- Io ings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to hinges for swinging doors and to certain useful improvements therein. y

The improvement in such hinges consists in devices whereby they are convertible from a free to a spring hinge orthe reverse, as conven- 'ience may require, retaining in each case the functions and purpose of the two kinds of hinges.

The objects of my invention are to arrange a door at option to close automatically or to stand free, and thus meet the common requirements of use by a simple and inexpensive adjustment of parts. To attain this purpose,

, 2 5 I construct hinges as described in the following specification, andl illustrated bythe accompanyin g drawings, forming a part thereof.

Figure I shows a top or plan View of one of my improved hinges with its door-closing 3o spring in action; Fig. II, a similar View, but

in section on the line a a in Fig. IV with the hinge operating free without strain and in the usual manner of'a 'common hinge. Fig.

III is a front or face elevation of the hinge with the door-closing spring in action as in Fig. I, and Fig. IV a similar front view of the same hinge acting free as in Fig. II.

The automatic closing of doors by means of spring-hinges is a matter of great conven- 4o ience, conserving various useful purposes;

' but in nearly all cases it is desirable at times to have doors remain open,and unless the closy ing devices are detached or rendered inert it is necessary to fasten the doors to hold them open. Such provision keeps the hingeslcontinually under strain, is inconvenient, and incurs a risk of slamming and annoyance when accidentally released. ATo obviate this objection, I provide convertible hinges, substan- 5o tially as shown in the drawings, where l is a senti No. 157.592. (No man.)

section of a door is hung. Y

` The parts 3, 4", 'and 5 form a double hinge adapted to swing either way, the central orv intermediate members 4, connected by a tordoor, and 2 the jamb, to Which-the n sion al spring,6,that tendsto close these against plained, referring irst to Figs. I and III. vIn l this case the intermediate leayes or parts 4 are locked to the stationary parts 3 and 5 by the pivot-pins 9 and l0, so that when thedoor is opened the torsional strain of the spring 6 tends to close the door 1. The'sainething occurs when the door l is swung the other Way.; but it'will be seen that if the pin l0 is removed or pushed up, as in Fig. IV, the part 4 of the lower hinge and the spring 6 become inert, and the door l swings freely on the upper hinge at 12. In this manner the hinge is converted from a spring or self -closing one to a simple or common hinge by moving the sliding pin l0, as in Fig. IV, or, in other words,

disconnecting the part 4 from the parts 3 and 5.

The pin l0 can be arranged in various ways. The form shown is found suitable in practice, a spring keeping the pin in position when raised, as in Fig. IV. l v

4Itwill be understood that if the door l is to be swung in the direction opposite to'that shown in the drawings the same result is attained by shifting the movable pin l0 to the opposite side. It will also be understood that if a door is to be swung in one directiononly but one of the parts 4 is required, one end of the spring 6 being fastened Vtothe parts 3 or 5, accordingly as the door is swung right or left, the pin l0 actingin the same manner as before described. l A

Having thus explained the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new,

and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

IOO Y Patented December 8, 1903. I

no one of the fixed plates, whereby the hinge may be converted from a spring-actuated hinge to an ordinary hinge, and vice versa,

substantially as specified.

In testimonyvwhereof I have signed my name to this speciiication in the presence of 15 two subscribing Witnesses.

AXEL F. ENQUIST. Witnesses:

P. W. J. LANDER, M. L. J oNEs. 

